North Carolina‘s Republican Governor candidate Mark Robinson has taken legal action against CNN, filing a significant defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit revolves around claims made by the network in a recent report, which Robinson strongly denies.
So, let’s delve deep into the details about Robinson’s defamation case against CNN.
Mark Robinson files defamation case against CNN
Mark Robinson, North Carolina governor, has filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN (via Reuters).
Robinson is seeking at least $50 million in damages over a report the network aired in September. The report accused Robinson of making inflammatory and racially charged posts on a pornography website over a decade ago. This includes referring to himself as a “black NAZI” and expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler. According to CNN, the posts were allegedly made under the username “minisoldr” and linked to Robinson through personal details.
Robinson vehemently denied the accusations in his lawsuit, calling CNN’s report a “recklessly false” and “malicious hit job.” He argues that the data used in the report was unverifiable, allegedly obtained from a data breach on the dark web, and that CNN proceeded with the story despite doubts about its accuracy. Robinson claims that the report intended to damage his campaign against Democratic opponent Josh Stein in the upcoming election on November 5.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Robinson described the lawsuit as a stand against what he called “one of the greatest examples of political interference in this state’s history.” He argued that CNN’s report was part of a broader effort to discredit his candidacy and silence his conservative views.
The CNN report also included references to posts in which Robinson allegedly made offensive remarks about civil rights leaders, transgender individuals, and endorsed the return of slavery. These claims were based on screenshots and data that CNN said matched Robinson’s online accounts.
However, Robinson contends that he did not receive a fair opportunity to review the evidence. His legal team believes that additional parties may be involved in what they describe as a “coordinated attack” (via AP News). CNN has not commented on the lawsuit.
In addition to CNN, the lawsuit names musician Louis Love Money as a co-defendant. He previously accused Robinson of regularly purchasing adult films in the 1990s and early 2000s from a store the vocalist used to work at. Robinson has denied these allegations, stating that the claims are part of the same effort to undermine his campaign. Money has stood by his statements and claimed his account as true.
